GoodCents Blog Summer Demand-Response Programs Can be Effective for Small Businesses

A study of 78 small offices, restaurants and retail outlets in Sacramento, California, showed an overwhelmingly positive response to an integrated energy-efficiency/demand-response program for hot summer days.The Summer Solutions study was conducted by the Demand Response Research Center and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in the summer of 2008. It was designed to provide a better understanding of demand-response and communicating-thermostat issues for small businesses with minimal energy usage (less than 20 kilowatts per day).